Kevin Durant Gives BYU Signee AJ Dybantsa Advice Preparing For Big 12
Apr 1, 2025, 12:13 PM | Updated: Apr 2, 2025, 10:01 am
BYU basketball signee AJ Dybantsa sat down with his favorite player, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant, for an interview.
The interview was called “Air Time.” It’s a collaboration between the NBA and Nike to highlight the NBA’s “grassroots to greatness” program.
The sitdown between BYU’s future star and the NBA legend occurred during the NBA’s All-Star weekend in San Francisco, but wasn’t released until Tuesday.
Dybantsa will enroll at BYU on April 29th to begin his one season in Provo before declaring for the NBA. The Cougars play in the same league that Kevin Durant once resided in as a member of the Texas Longhorns, the Big 12.
When Dybantsa announced his commitment to BYU publicly on ESPN’s First Take in December, he pointed out that Durant was his “favorite player of all-time.”
During Monday’s Sprite Jamfest, where Dybantsa had a slam dunk over WNBA star Angel Reese, Dybantsa, a Nike athlete, wore a pair of his own player-exclusive KD 18s.
Durant played in the Big 12 during the 2006-07 season and was named the league’s Player of the Year. Since Durant departed, the league has changed, with five programs exiting, but there’s still a strong brand of hoops in the Big 12 today. Four teams, including BYU, reached the Sweet 16 in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Kevin Durant to AJ Dybantsa: Put the flag on the ground in the Big 12
The interview hosts discussed Durant’s history in the Big 12 and how Dybantsa prepares to navigate the power conference as a freshman.
“It’s for sure a different league. Some teams that are not in there that I played against, but it’s a lot. It’s a high standard for big-name freshmen coming into the Big 12,” Durant said.
“You gotta think about the dudes who came there. Myself, Mike Beasley (Kansas State), Trae Young (Oklahoma), Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma). So all of these dudes are top picks, Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year. So it’s a standard when you come into that league, put the flag on the ground like ‘I’m a freshman, but I’m still the best player in the conference.’ You know what I’m saying?
“So it’s that standard that was set regardless of how many teams are in and out of the Big 12. It’s just that standard of that player coming in with that type of hype like that, with that type of talent and skill that you’ve got to prove on that level. So it should be fun coming into that next season.”
Dybantsa shares the goals he has as a freshman at BYU
Dybantsa, the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, boasts a perfect 1.000 composite score. He’s embracing the high expectations of being a star prospect in the Big 12.
“We’re going in and trying to win it. But I’m trying to make an impact. I’m trying to be Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year,” Dybantsa said. “… I don’t really care about the competition. Like, we playing, we hooping. I might be the youngest on the court, but, you know, 25-year-olds, 28-year-olds, I’m trying to prepare for the league, so it doesn’t really matter.”
Both have respect for BYU head coach Kevin Young
Along with paths in the Big 12, both players have experience with BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young.
Before being hired as the BYU basketball coach, Young was a top assistant on the Phoenix Suns coaching staff and worked with Kevin Durant. Dybantsa has consistently pointed to BYU’s staff, which is filled with NBA connections, as one of the reasons he signed with BYU over Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas State, and others.
Dybantsa asked Durant if transitioning from Oak Hill Academy to the Big 12 was hard.
“I wouldn’t say it was like hard, but it was like, the style of play in college is a little faster. In high school, it’s a little bit more structured,” Durant said. “It’s more stuff you’ve got to think about than anything; game plans, how we playing defense, what type of offense we want to run, just all of that type of stuff you think about. That’s the difference in levels. The speed and the intellect of the game is different.
Durant continued, speaking to Dybantsa, “You’ve got the talent, the size, and the skill to match anybody in the [Big 12], anybody in college. But how fast can you catch on to the schemes? How fast can you catch on to how teams are going to scheme you, too? So it’s just another level of intellect you’ve got to step into. But you’ve got a great coaching staff who know how to articulate that stuff to the players. So you’ll be alright.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
